Electricially heated jacket for refrigerant containers for charging air conditioners, freezers and heat pumps

ABSTRACT

A one or two piece insulated jacket with electric heating elements is provided for placing around a portable cylinder of refrigerant for charging air conditioners and refrigerating units and heat pumps. A thermostat may be provided for regulating the current from a power source to the heating elements to control the temperature inside the insulated jacket. The insulated jacket may be extended across the bottom of the cylinder and a heating element placed there. The bottom of the jacket may have a pocket for a weighing scale to determine how much fluid has been used to charge an air conditioner. A method of transferring refrigerant utilizing a thermostatically controlled heating jacket around a refrigerant portable container is provided.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

An apparatus for heating refrigerant containers (e.g. portable cylinders) for charging air conditioners, heat pumps, freezers and heat pumps is provided. An insulated jacket made of flexible material with heating elements is placed around the refrigerant container and heated while the refrigerant or heat transfer fluid is being transferred from the container to a cooling unit or heat pump.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Air conditioners and heat pumps need to be charged with a heat transfer fluid (e.g. refrigerant) after they had been installed. Refrigerators and freezers usually come charged with a heat transfer fluid, but some large commercial units will need to be charged after they have been installed. Air conditioners, refrigerators, freezers and heat pumps need to be recharged with a refrigerant from time to time due to leaks in the system. R22 is a common refrigerant coolant that is used in cooling units, such as air conditioners and refrigerators, at the present time. It is scheduled to be replaced by a more environmentally friendly coolant know as R410 in the next few years. Cooling units are typically recharged from a portable refrigerant container, commonly known as a cylinder, which is attached by a hose to the coolant unit. The refrigerant under pressure is then transferred to the cooling unit or heat pump. One of the problems frequently encountered in recharging cooling units with a refrigerant is that the refrigerant freezes due to its rapid expansion from being transferred so that it will no longer flow through the hose connecting the refrigerant container to the cooling unit. This means that when the refrigerant is frozen and no longer flows freely that the refrigerant container must be disconnected and a new container be used to finish the charge.

When more than one refrigerant container must be used for charging a cooling unit, some refrigerant is lost and escapes into the atmosphere in the process of connecting and disconnecting the hoses to the refrigerant container. This is not only an economic loss but also results in pollution of the atmosphere.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An insulated jacket made of flexible material is provided for placing around a portable refrigerant container, such as a cylinder, while the refrigerant in the container is being transferred to a cooling unit, such as an air conditioner or refrigerator or a heat pump. The terms “refrigerant” and “heat transfer fluid” are used interchangeably. The insulated jacket has insulation adjacent the outside of the jacket and one or more electrical heating elements near the inside of the jacket. These heating elements are connected to an electrical cord which is plugged into a power source, such as an electrical outlet.

This jacket is wrapped around the refrigerant cylinder and the electrical cord is connected to an electrical outlet. Preferably, the temperature inside the insulated jacket is controlled by a thermostat. Preferably the temperature is maintained between 80 and 120° F. on the inside of the jacket. A thermostat and cutoff switch may be provided to turn off the electric current if the temperature exceeds a certain level, such as 120° F. The jacket may also have a thermometer so the service person can determine the temperature on the inside of the jacket. This jacket may be secured around the container by one or more straps or other fastening means. Preferably the jacket is of one piece construction and covers the sides and bottom of the cylinders. Preferably the jacket is placed along the bottom and sides of the container so that the refrigerant is uniformly heated and will flow freely into the cooling unit. An insulated pad can be placed on the bottom of the container and may have a heating element as well. This pad may have provision for holding a scale to weigh the container to determine how much refrigerant has been used and how much is remaining in the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a refrigerant container, or cylinder, and the insulated jacket to fit around the cylinder.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a refrigerant container wrapped in an insulated jacket as shown in FIG. 1 and connected to an air conditioner and an electrical outlet for supplying current to the electrical heating elements in the jacket.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken from the top of a refrigerant container or cylinder with the insulated jacket in place.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the insulated jacket lying flat showing the electrical heating elements in outline form with a thermostat.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of in an insulated jacket showing three electrical heating elements in the jacket.

FIGS. 6A-6C is a side view of a refrigerant container, or cylinder, with a jacket being placed around the cylinder and tightened into position in preparation for heating the cylinder.

FIGS. 7A-7B is a side view of a refrigerant cylinder with the jacket in place with a provision for a scale in the bottom of the jacket.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 is a side view of a refrigerant container, cylinder, and a one piece insulated jacket to be placed around the cylinder.

FIG. 2 illustrates the refrigerant container 26 wrapped with an insulated jacket 18 which is connected to an air conditioning unit 16. The refrigerant assembly 10 consists of a refrigerant container, in this case a cylinder 26 and an insulated jacket 18 that covers the sides and bottom of the refrigerant container 26. The refrigerant cylinder 26 is connected by a transfer hose 12 which is connected to transfer nozzle and valve 14 on the refrigerant cylinder 26. The transfer hose 12 is connected to the cooling unit, such as an air conditioner or refrigerator 16.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the insulated jacket 18 has one or more heating elements 30 which are connected to an electric cord 20 which has an electric plug 24 for plugging into a current source, such as an electric outlet (not shown). A thermostat 22 is provided for controlling the electric current flowing through the heating element 30. A thermostat 22 is connected to one or more heat sensors 34 in the insulated jacket 18 to maintain the proper temperature inside of the insulated jacket to keep the refrigerant from freezing. The heating element 30 is preferably placed close to the inside surface of the insulated jacket 18 so it will be close to the refrigerant cylinder 26 which it is designed to heat. The insulated material 32 is preferably placed adjacent the outside surface of the insulated jacket 18 to prevent the escape of heat from the jacket into the outside atmosphere.

It has been found that it is preferable that the insulated jacket 18 should extend all, or nearly all, around the circumference of the refrigerant cylinder 26. It may be necessary to have the insulated jacket 18 extend across the bottom 28 of the refrigerant container 26. Electric heating elements may be placed inside of the bottom 38 of the jacket 18 if desired. A plurality of heating elements 30 as shown in FIG. 5 may be needed to satisfactorily heat the refrigerant cylinder 26 so that the refrigerant flows easily when the cylinder 26 is connected to a cooling unit 16.

As shown in FIGS. 7A-7B, the bottom 38 of the jacket 18 may have a pocket 40 for containing a scale 42 which can be inserted into the pocket 40 to weigh the cylinder 26 to determine how much refrigerant or heat transfer fluid has been transferred from the cylinder. The scale 42 may have a display to view the weight of the cylinder 26. This is needed to determine the charge to the customer and how much fluid was placed in the air conditioner or heat pump. The bottom 38 of the jacket can be designed to contain both the scale and heating elements 30.

The insulated jacket 18 can be held snuggly around the cylinder 26 by any means such as a strap 36 with ends that can be tied together. It is important that the insulated jacket 18 can be easily installed and removed and placed on another cylinder 26 once the cylinder around which it is placed is emptied. A layer of foam rubber 46 may be placed in the bottom 38 of the jacket 18 to hold it in close contact with the cylinder 26.

In operation the refrigerant cylinder 26 is connected to the cooling unit 16 in the conventional manner. The insulated jacket 18 is wrapped around the cylinder 26 and the electric plug 24 plugged into an electric outlet. Preferably the heating commences at the time of or slightly before the refrigerant is to be transferred. It is only necessary to heat the refrigerant cylinder 26 so that the refrigerant flows freely into the cooling unit 16. Preferably the temperature inside the insulated jacket is maintained between a 80 and a 120° F. It is important that the temperature of the insulated jacket not get too high to prevent a rupture of the refrigerant container 26 due to rising pressure caused by heating. A cut-off switch tied into an integral thermostat can cut the power if the temperature exceeds a certain level. The thermostat 22 and heat sensors 34 can be embedded in the side of the jacket as shown in FIG. 2. A thermometer can be placed in the side of the jacket 18 for viewing by the operator (not shown).

It has been found that with the insulated jacket of this invention that a refrigerant cylinder can be heated sufficiently so that all of the refrigerant can be discharged into a cooling unit without the refrigerant freezing up. Thus, it is not necessary to disconnect a refrigerant cylinder and replace it with another because the refrigerant has frozen. This saves time for the technician in recharging a cooling unit and also reduces the amount of refrigerant that escapes into the atmosphere in the process of recharging a cooling unit.

Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present invention will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims. 

1. A refrigerant containing and transfer assembly comprising: a refrigerant container for containing a refrigerant or heat transfer fluid and having sides and a nozzle with a valve for transferring refrigerant from the container to a cooling unit; an insulated jacket made of a flexible material in position around at least most of the sides of the container, said insulated jacket having an inside and outside surface with insulation located adjacent the outside surface and at least one electrical heating element located substantially adjacent the inside surface of the flexible material; means for securing the insulated jacket snugly around the container and permitting the easy removal and installation of the jacket around the container; an electrical cord electrically connected to the heating element for transferring electrical current to the heating element from an electrical outlet; and a thermostat for regulating the temperature of the electric heating element.
 2. A refrigerant containing and transfer assembly of claim 1, in which the container is a portable cylinder and the jacket has two ends and the means for securing the insulated jacket around the container, detachably connecting the two ends of the jacket together.
 3. The refrigerant containing and transfer assembly of claim 2, in which the two ends of the insulated jacket are detachably connected by at least one strap.
 4. The refrigerant containing and transfer assembly of claim 2, in which each end of the insulated jacket is connected to at least one strap which is capable of being detachably attached to a strap on the other end of the jacket.
 5. A portable refrigerant containing and transfer assembly comprising: a refrigerant container for containing a refrigerant or heat transfer fluid and having sides and a nozzle with a valve for transferring refrigerant from the container to a cooling unit; an insulated jacket made of a flexible material fitted in a snug position around at least most of the sides of the container, said insulated jacket having an inside and outside surface with insulation located adjacent the outside surface and at least one electrical heating element located substantially adjacent the inside surface of the flexible material; an electrical cord electrically connected to the electrical power source heating element for transferring electrical current to the heating element from an electrical power source; and a means for regulating the temperature of the electric heating element.
 6. The portable refrigerant containing and transfer assembly of claim 5, in which the container is a portable cylinder and the jacket has two ends with means for securing the insulated jacket around the cylinder, which detachably connects the two ends of the jacket together.
 7. The portable refrigerant containing and transfer assembly of claim 6, in which the two ends of the insulated jacket are detachably connected by at least one strap.
 8. The portable refrigerant containing and transfer assembly of claim 5, in which the refrigerant container is cylindrical in shape and has sides which are interconnected by a bottom, and the insulated jacket extends around the sides and bottom of the container.
 9. The portable refrigerant containing and transfer assembly of claim 8, in which at least one electrical heating element is located in the insulated jacket adjacent to the sides and bottom of the refrigerant cylinder.
 10. The portable refrigerant containing and transfer assembly of claim 9, in which the insulated jacket that extends across the bottom of the cylinder has a pocket for containing a scale and a scale is located in the pocket.
 11. The refrigerant containing and transfer assembly of claim 9, in which the jacket has two ends and each end of the jacket is connected to at least one strap which is capable of being detachably attached to a strap on the other end of the jacket.
 12. The refrigerant containing and transfer assembly of claim 11, in which the insulated jacket extends along the bottom of the cylinder and the jacket has a plurality of electrical heating elements which extend around the cylinders and the bottom of the cylinders so as to uniformly heat the cylinder.
 13. The portable refrigerant containing and transfer assembly of claim 5, in which the refrigerant container is cylindrical in shape and has sides which are interconnected by a bottom, and the insulated jacket is of one piece construction which extends around the sides and bottom of the container.
 14. The portable refrigerant containing and transfer assembly of claim 13, in which at least one electrical heating element is located in the insulated jacket adjacent the sides and bottom of the refrigerant cylinder so as to uniformly heat the cylinder.
 15. The portable refrigerant containing and transfer assembly of claim 14, in which the insulated jacket that extends across the bottom of the cylinder has a pocket for containing a scale and a scale is located in the pocket.
 16. A refrigerant containing and transfer assembly comprising a refrigerant container for containing a refrigerant or heat transfer fluid and having sides and a bottom and a nozzle with a valve for transferring refrigerant from the container to a cooling or heating unit: an insulated jacket made of a flexible material in position around at least most of the area of the sides of the container, said insulated jacket having an inside and outside surface with insulation located adjacent the outside surface and at least one electrical heating element located substantially adjacent the inside surface of the flexible insulated material and there is an insulated pad that extends across the bottom of the container that has a pocket in which a scale is located; means for securing the insulated jacket snugly around the container and permitting the easy removal and installation of the jacket around the container; an electrical cord electrically connected to the heating element for transferring electrical current to the heating element from an electrical outlet; a thermostat for regulating the temperature of the electric heating element.
 17. A heating jacket for heating a refrigerant container while transferring a refrigerant to a cooling unit comprising: an insulated jacket made of a flexible material which is designed to fit snugly around a refrigerant container, said jacket having a inside and outside surface with insulation located adjacent the outside surface and at least one electrical heating element located substantially adjacent the inside surface, said jacket having means for securing the jacket to the refrigerant container and permitting the easy removal and installation of the jacket around the refrigerant container, an electrical cord electrically connected to the heating element for transferring electric current to the heating element from an electrical outlet and a thermostat for regulating the temperature of the electric heating element.
 18. The heating jacket of claim 17, in which the jacket has two ends and the means for securing the jacket is at least one strap which has fasteners for fastening the two ends of the jacket to each other.
 19. The heating jacket of claim 17, which is of one piece construction.
 20. A method of transferring refrigerant from a portable refrigerant container to a cooling unit including the steps of placing the container near the cooling unit and connecting the refrigerant container to the cooling unit so the refrigerant can be transferred to the cooling unit, placing an insulated heating jacket around the container, with the jacket having at least one heating element and electrically connecting the heating element to an electrical outlet and supplying electric current to the heating element to heat the refrigerant and thermostatically controlling the temperature of the heating elements so the refrigerant freely flows from the refrigerant container to the cooling unit, and transferring the refrigerant from the container to the cooling unit.
 21. The method of claim 20, in which the heating jacket has a plurality of heating elements which are thermostatically controlled to maintain the temperature inside the jacket between 80 to 120° F. during the transfer of the refrigerant from the portable refrigerant container to the cooling unit. 